852

NENTHORN Near Kelso, Scottish Borders [74] NT 68 37

Village The village of Nenthorn.

John Deans and Samuel Nisbet,

Covenanters from this village, perished in the

Crown of London shipwreck at Deerness. James Aitchison, also

of Nenthorn, survived the shipwreck but was later transported to Jamaica

and finally died in Dunnottar prison.

Attribution:

Walter Baxter

NETHAN, River (See AUCHLOCHAN)

NETHERHOUSES Near Bathgate, West Lothian [65] NS 931 669

Farm

Netherhouses (once known as Blackdub) - James Davie was shot at this farm in 1673. He is

buried at Bathgate.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Love, D. Scottish Covenanter Stories. p 29

853

NETHER STRANGASSEL Near St. John’s Town of Dalry, Dumfries and Galloway [77] NX 603 859

Farm (no longer extant)

Nether Strangassel, the home of fugitive John Brown once stood here.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

*Morton, A. S.

*Wodrow, Rev. Robert. Volume IV. p 23 www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=177686

http://maps.nls.uk/os/6inch/view/?sid=74427628&zoom=7&lat=10602.83528&lon=11556.5&layers=B

NETHERTHIRD Near Tongland, Dumfries and Galloway [83/84] NX 714 558

Farm Netherthird - home during Covenanting times of fugitive, John Colton.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

*Morton, A. S. p 227

*Wodrow, Rev. Robert. Volume IV. p 22

854

NETHERWOOD Near Muirkirk, East Ayrshire [71] NS 661 283

Farm

Netherwood Farm. A party of dragoons

forced a weaver to take them to this farm. They then forced the farmer of Netherwood

to take them to Greenock Mains Farm, where Thomas Richard, a Covenanter, lived.

The environs of Netherwood Farm.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Simpson, Rev. R. p 386. *Simpson, Rev. R. pp 95-96

NEUCK Near Lesmahagow, South Lanarkshire [71/72] NS 820 376

Farm

Neuck - home during Covenanting times of John Whyte who survived the ‘Killing Times’.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Love, Dane. The Covenanter Encyclopaedia. p 140

855

NEWARK CASTLE Near Selkirk, Scottish Borders [73] NT 420 293

Castle (ruins)

Newark Castle -this is where dragoon prisoners were brought after the Battle of Philiphaugh.

History

The castle was built by the Earls of Douglas in 1423 above the steep

banks that rise from the Yarrow Water below. Almost a century earlier

the Douglas family had been granted the forests of Selkirk, Ettrick and

Traquair by Robert the Bruce. However, the Douglas’s fell from Royal

favour in1455. In 1550 the Scott family were given the lands. They

had formerly been forest rangers. Anne, the 1st Duchess of Buccleuch

was the last person to live in the tower. After the Battle of Philiphaugh

in 1645 the tower was used as a temporary prison.

Newark Castle was originally built as a castle, although, it is known to

many local people as Newark Tower because of its design. The first

time the building appears on records is in 1423. The building derives

its name from the fact that it was a ‘new werk’ as opposed to the older

castle which stood in the vicinity. On Pont’s map of 1608 the

‘Oldworck’ is placed almost half a mile east of the castle of

‘Newoorck’.

Display board at Newark Castle.

Dungeon at Newark Castle. Prisoners were kept here after the

Battle of Philiphaugh and a legend records that General David Leslie, who led the Covenanters’ victory at Philiphaugh,

had prisoners shot here.

856

Newark Castle enclosure. Here dragoons were shot after the Battle

of Philiphaugh.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Covenanter Prisons - Foreword and

Introduction, Volume I, p xxi

COVENANTER PRISONS - Miscellaneous

Index, Volume IV, p 17

Love, Dane. The Covenanter

Encyclopaedia. p 171 http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_ite

m/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=54273

NEW CUMNOCK (See MEIKLE WASTELAND)

NEWHAVEN Near Edinburgh, Mid Lothian [66] NT 254 771

Harbour

Newhaven Harbour, slightly west of

Leith Docks. Nearly 200 Covenanters sailed from here to Jamaica where they were sold as slaves in 1684. Included in the

number were Gilbert and William Milroy of Kirkalla.

Attribution: Kim Traynor

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Love, D. Scottish Covenanter Stories. p 223

857

NEWHOLM Near Dunsyre, South Lanarkshire [72] NT 081 476

House

Newholm - home during Covenanting times of Major Joseph Learmont who led the

Covenanting troops at the Battle of Rullion Green in 1666. It is thought that a secret hideout at Newholm, discovered in the 1960s, was used by Learmont.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Love, Dane. The Covenanter Encyclopaedia. p 75

NEW LUCE Near Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway [82] NX 175 645

Church (Parish Church)

New Luce Parish Church. Rev. Alexander Peden Interior of New Luce Parish Church. was minister here. He was ejected in 1662. Covenanter, Samuel Clark, was also

resident in this parish.

858

Site of Peden Memorial Free Church (Former) [82] NX 174 647

PE DE N

ME MORIAL FRE E CHURC H

1871

Plaque at New Luce.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CALDONS - Places Index, Volume III, pp 169-175

Love, Dane. The Covenanter Encyclopaedia. pp 157-158

Simpson, Rev. R. p 232. *Simpson, Rev. R. p 449

www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id =299760

NEWMILNS East Ayrshire [70] NS 536 373

Tower

Ducat Tower, used as a garrison during Covenanting times. Covenanters discovered at

Little Blackwood Farm, Fenwick were imprisoned in 1685. A dramatic escape ensued, led by John Browning and John Law.

John Law was killed during the escape and several other Covenanters were hurt.

859

Tower Wall

Covenanter, John Law’s grave, in

Tower wall.

Church and Churchyard (Loudoun Old Parish Church) 70 NS 537 373

Parish Church, Newmilns. There are

many Covenanters’ memorials and graves here. Rev. John Nevay was minister here. He was banished to

Holland.

860

Covenanters’ graves at Newmilns.

John Law’s memorial plaque.

861

Covenanters’ memorials.

Covenanter memorial in memory of the martyrs

of Loudoun.

862

Tableaux on Covenanter memorial.

THE BOOK THAT SCOTLAND LOST

Norman L. Faulds

No one knows exactly when Murdoch Nisbet, an Ayrshire farmer, began to write by hand a copy

of the New Testament in Scots, although the main text appears to have been completed around 1520.

One thing is certain, however: his work is the earliest attempt in existence to provide ordinary men

and women in Scotland with a New Testament in a language they could read and understand.

For that reason you might expect to see Murdoch Nisbet’s name in all our history books.

You might expect facsimile editions of his work to be on sale in bookshops for Scots and tourists to

buy. You might expect to hear his work read on St. Andrew’s Day and on other national occasions.

You might also think that his original manuscript would be on display in a place of honour in

Scotland for all to admire. Sadly this is not so. Murdoch Nisbet is one of Scotland’s unsung heroes.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Murdoch Nisbet owned a farm called Hardhill in the

Parish of Loudoun in Ayrshire. Like many of his fellow countrymen he became acquainted with

the work of John Wycliffe, an English vicar, and John Purvey, his curate. A century before, these

two men had translated the Bible from Latin into English so that it might be read not just by

scholars and clerics, but by ordinary men and women. What Wycliffe had done for England, Nisbet

determined to do for Scotland. He decided to copy Purvey’s revision of Wycliffe’s New Testament,

but he chose to alter the English words and phrases into Scots wherever he thought this might be of

help to his fellow country folk.

One might be forgiven for wondering how a farmer found time for such a demanding

endeavour, but Murdoch Nisbet soon had plenty of time. Having joined the Lollards of Kyle (the

name given to the Ayrshire followers of Wycliffe) he was in danger of being brought to trial by the

Inquisition as a heretic. As a result he had to quit his farm and fell the country. Where he went is

not known for certain, but there is evidence to suggest that he went first to England and then to

Germany. While abroad he completed his New Testament in Scots. Although it was still an offence

punishable by death to own such a book, he braved the journey back to Scotland with his precious

manuscript.

863

Two men who returned at the same time were executed as heretics in Glasgow in 1539 -

Russell, a Franciscan friar, and Kennedy, a young man from Ayr. After that Murdoch Nisbet

literally went to ground. He built a shelter under his farmhouse and hid there to avoid capture. Men,

women and children went there to visit him and to see his precious book, which included lessons

from the Old Testament as well as a complete copy of the New Testament. Who can tell how many

lives were influenced for good by Murdoch Nisbet and his book on that Ayrshire farm in the

shadow of Loudoun Hill?

During the regency of Mary of Guise, popular demand grew stronger for changes in the

ordering of Church affairs.

Murdoch Nisbet, by then an old man, was fortunate enough to be able to come out of hiding and

share in the events which ultimately led to the Reformation.

When the old man died, his book passed on to his son, Alexander.1 He may have been the

recipient who recorded on it, without a signature, that he received it at midsummer, which was the

evil summer that ‘all wittellis war soden.’ Having lived through such a summer of rain ourselves

last year we can sympathise. The book passed onto Murdoch’s grandson James and to his great

grandson, John.

John, a strong and daring man served as a mercenary soldier abroad before returning to the

family farm at Hardhill. There he attempted to settle down, but events overtook him. Family

tradition made it inevitable that he should side with the Covenanters in the religious feuds of the

17th century. In 1666 he was wounded at the Pentland Rising. His young wife, while pregnant, was

threatened by Tom Dalziel’s men with sword and pistols, but she refused to reveal his whereabouts

even though her servant was shot, her house was plundered and she and her family were harassed

continually for six long months.

Twelve years later, in the middle of winter, a new enemy appeared - a large number of

Atholl and Breadalbane men. They had come to Ayrshire, they announced, “to make the Whig to

take with God and the King.” Their method of persuasion lacked any subtlety. Four of them

appeared one day at Hardhill as John Nisbet was overseeing the making of his own malt. Pointing

to his feet the highlanders declared “they would have the brogues off the Whig’s feet.” John Nisbet

had other ideas. He seized hold of a pitchfork and drove them off, though they were armed with

claymores.

Next day the four were twenty and the odds were too great, but knowing what to expect,

John had already taken to the open country. The Highlanders drove off his black cattle, his sheep

and his horses and took his furniture, meal, malt, butter, cheese, clothing, pots, pans, crooks, tongs,

spades, shovels and plough irons. It was the second time the farm had been stripped bare. He fought

bravely at Drumclog and Bothwell Bridge and was made a Captain of Horse.

In 1679 his farm was plundered a third time. His wife and family were hunted and harassed.

After his wife and daughter died, following four years on the run, he was finally captured and

executed at the Grassmarket in Edinburgh on 4th December, 1685. His remarkable story is told in

his own words in a twenty-four page tract entitled A True Relation of the Life and Sufferings of

John Nisbet In Hardhill. His Last Testimony to the Truth, with a short Account of his Last Words on

the Scaffold, December 4th, 1685. This tract, printed in Edinburgh in 1719, is included in the

present binding with Murdoch Nisbet’s New Testament.

When John was executed, that book passed to his son James, who was Murdoch Nisbet’s

great-great grandson. The sufferings he had shared with his father and mother had a profound effect

on James. A serious, introspective man, he regretted that troubled times had prevented his parents

from giving him the formal schooling that people of their substance might normally have provided

for a son. While he was running and hiding, he had learned to read and write, and the diary he kept

until he attained the age of 21 provides a compelling insight into the lives of John and Margaret

Nisbet and their children, just one Scottish family caught up in the struggles of the Covenanters for

religious freedom during a dark time in Scotland’s history.

1 Ten year old Alexander Nisbet was tortured for not revealing the whereabouts of his father.

864

The diary, now preserved

in the Signet Library in

Edinburgh, is entitled Private life

of the persecuted; or memoirs of

the first years of James Nisbet,

one of the Scottish Covenanters.

After the Revolution Settlement

James joined the Established

Church and became a Sergeant in

the regiment later known as the

Cameronians. By the time of is

death in 1728 he has risen to the

rank of Ensign or Lieutenant.

As James and his wife had

no children, his heir was a nephew,

apprenticed to be a barber. He was

concerned lest the young man might not appreciate Murdoch Nisbet’s New Testament so his

widow entrusted it to Sir Alexander Boswell, an Edinburgh Advocate. He in turn gave it in due

time to the young nephew. Ensign James’s fears proved to be well founded. The prodigal nephew

sold the New Testament to Gavin Hamilton. It was on his bookshelves that Sir Alexander Boswell

found it, quite by chance, in 1745, the year of the Jacobite Rebellion. At that time his son, James

Boswell, the biographer of Dr. Johnson, was only five years old. So it was that the first New

Testament in Scots came into the possession of the Boswells of Auchinleck, in whose library it

remained until 1893.

After passing through the hands of a bookseller, the manuscript was purchased for his

collection of rare and interesting Bibles by Lord Amherst of Hackney, a noted book lover and

collector. He kindly lent it to the Scottish Text Society, which published an edition of it for its

members, edited by Thomas Graves Kaw, in three volumes in 1901, 1903 and 1905. Of these only

the third volume is still in print, and that is available only to members of the society. Copies

however are to be found in some public libraries.

Where is the original manuscript now? With the help of the Scottish Text Society, the

University of Edinburgh, the National Bible Society, the National Library, the Scottish Records

Office and the Royal Commission for Historical Manuscripts in London, that question can now be

answered. It is in the British Library at the British Museum, having been purchased from the

Amherst Family in 1909.

Before 1893 few people were aware of the existence of a pre-Reformation Scots New

Testament. The printed Bibles of Tyndale and Coverdale, the Geneva Bible and the King James

Authorised Version had enjoyed wider circulation in Scotland and were better known. Since 1893

the rediscovered Scots New Testament has been the possession of scholars, but Murdoch Nisbet’s

intention was that it should be the possession of the ordinary people of Scotland. For the sake of a

brave pioneer like Murdoch Nisbet, wouldn’t it be grand to have his book back? Perhaps the

people of Scotland might be persuaded to ask for it back on loan - temporarily or permanently. Or

we might buy it back, if needs must!

In 1829 Sir Walter Scott led scenes of rejoicing when Mons Meg came home to Edinburgh

Castle from the Tower of London on the appropriately named ship the Happy Janet. It would be a

happy day for Scotland if Ensign James’s great-great grandfather’s New Testament could make a

similar journey. 1

1 The Scots Magazine.

865

The town of Newmilns near where the Nisbets lived and farmed at

Hardhill. The farm is no more, but it is thought to have included part of

what is now the church glebe.

Attribution: W. Robison

OTHER COVENANTING ASSOCIATIONS WITH NEWMILNS

A Covenanter by the name of Finlaw was of the parish of Newmilns. He was shot in Edinburgh.

Jasper Tough, a local apothecary or doctor, assisted some of the Covenanters hurt during the escape from the Ducat Tower. He was imprisoned in Dean Castle for his sympathetic actions.

866

2

1

1 Map drawn by George Scott.

867

MURDOCH NISBET

A perusal of any comprehensive book on the Covenanters shows us that the Nisbets suffered much,

and died in the cause of religious freedom. John Nisbet of Hardhill; his nephew John Nisbet of the

Glen; and James Nisbet of Highside, all paid the price of resisting the edicts of the monarch.

An earlier Nisbet, and a pro-genitor, probably of them all, was Murdoch Nisbet, who risked

possible torture and death by the Inquisition. In the early 16th century Murdoch Nisbet slowly and

laboriously translated the New Testament into Scots. He was a farmer in Hardhill, Loudoun Parish

(where the above John Nisbet lived and farmed over a century later). Murdoch had been inspired

by the example of John Wycliffe, who translated the Bible from Latin into English, and he felt that

the Scriptures should be available to be read by the common people. Much of his work was

completed abroad, because he had to flee the country, being suspected of heresy. However, he

eventually returned to Scotland, at great risk. Two companions who returned at the same time,

Russell and Kennedy were burned at the stake in Glasgow. Murdoch survived to old age, and I

believe that his original manuscript is held by the British Museum.

If our political masters can return the Stone of Destiny to its rightful place in Scotland, could

they not also send us back Murdoch Nisbet’s unique work? 1

NEWMILNS

A month or two back I attended a meeting called by Newmilns Initiative, a local development body,

- our aim to improve the condition of the local Covenanter memorials. Surprisingly, Newmilns

boasts seven such memorials - six in the churchyard and one on the wall of the Keep (which has just

had an exterior ‘face-lift’). The condition of the latter monument (to John Law) is rather poor, and

it certainly needs attention. However, when sculptor, Kevin Roberts and I made an inspection of the

memorials the other week, we could hardly approach this stone along the lane, because of all kinds

of rubbish (in bulk). Two large rubbish skips dominated the lane, and a huge pile of debris lay in the

corner. I have drawn the attention of the local authority to this blot. What will tourists think of us

Scots allowing our memorials to be degraded in such a fashion? The Law stone will require to be

removed from its position on the wall, but this will be very tricky, as the wall is ready to fall down!

Several of the other Newmilns stones require drastic treatment, perhaps replacement, and we

are presently investigating the possibility of grants from the local authority. 2

NEWMILNS

Extract from newsletter of Scottish Reformation Society, - Secy. Rev. A. Sinclair Horne, who runs a

‘Covenanting Tour’ every year, remarks that “it was very gratifying to see some of the monuments

being restored and those at Newmilns in particular were outstanding and whoever was responsible

must be commended for the finished job.” This is just one of the many favourable comments on the

workmanship of sculptor, Kevin Roberts, which has resulted in a very attractive ‘Covenanter

Attraction’ in Newmilns Kirkyard. I hope that you have been able to visit this readily accessible site,

to confirm the enthusiastic approvals of the renovated memorials. 3

1 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 63, February 1997, p 9 2 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 56, September 1994, p 3 3 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 59, September 1995, p 7

868

THE JOHN LAW STONE AT NEWMILNS

The only Newmilns memorial not to be renovated last year has now been removed to storage from

its precarious position in a ruinous wall. The Scottish Co-op. Funeral Department originally

intended to fully renovate the stone, but time is dragging on, and we may have to explore other

avenues. There is the possibility that we may have to apply for another grant from Newmilns and

Greenholm Initiative, who were so generous in the restoration of the other monuments. When the

stone is finally renovated, it is hoped to re-erect it at its proper level - on the ground - and not 8 feet

up on a wall - perhaps within the grounds of the newly renovated Keep. 1

NEWMILNS

I am glad to report that the Scottish Co-operative Funeral Service have supplied a new memorial

stone to replace the old John Law stone, which was badly eroded and was in a perilous situation,

built high into a ruinous wall. The new stone was delivered to Newmilns Initiative Secretary,

Mrs. Susan Moffat, in April, and it is to be incorporated into the boundary wall between the

Newmilns Tower and Castle Street. The old stone? It’s now in the care of a Newmilns gentleman

who is interested in local history and who will look after it carefully.

Very many thanks to the Scottish Co-op. Funeral Service for their generous action, and to all

the other local people who became involved in this project. 2

The Loudoun Arms Inn at Newmilns in Ayrshire stands in the grounds of the small but sturdy keep

of Newmilns Tower. This tower was used as a place of imprisonment for Covenanters. John Law

suffered martyrdom when effecting an escape from the tower, and a memorial there and at the

nearby church commemorates the event. 3

NEWMILNS TOWER

Along with many other members of the public, I was privileged to be able to see through this

building during ‘Open Doors Day’ on the last Sunday in September. It was quite a thrill to enter the

Keep, - built in the 1530s - which has lain empty and neglected for many years. However, it has

been rescued from a mouldering death and will soon be available to rent as holiday accommodation,

or even as a long-term lease.

It was purchased by Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust in 1991, and was restored in the

last two years. The quality of workmanship has been very high, and the fittings are of the best.

There are four largish rooms and a small railed balcony. Unfortunately, it is not a ‘flat’. The rooms

are situated one above the other, connected by a stone spiral staircase. I would imagine that to spend

a holiday there you would require to be sound in mind and limb. At the same time, it would be quite

a thrill to stay in such an ancient building. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of tenants seeing ghosts

there!

Remember that this was the ‘Keep’ where prisoners were kept, and it was the scene of the

rescue of eight Covenanters, who had been captured at a prayer meeting at Little Blackwood in

April, 1685. One of the rescuers, John Law, was shot and killed during the action. The condition

and safety of his old memorial has been giving concern for some years, but a new stone has been

supplied by the Co-op Funeral Society, and it is presently awaiting erection near the tower, -

probably incorporated into the surrounding wall. 4

1 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 60, February 1996, p 5 2 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 61, June 1996, p 9 3 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 62, September 1996, p 4 4 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 63, February 1997, p 8

869

At Newmilns in Ayrshire, no fewer than six stones within the kirkyard in the centre of the village

have been cleaned. The tall obelisk commemorating all the martyrs of the parish looks particularly

well, its fresh colour attracting many positive comments. 1

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barr, J. pp 146-150

Campbell, T. pp 139, 143-152, 161-162

Covenanter Prisons - Foreword and Introduction, Volume I, p xxi COVENANTER PRISONS - Miscellaneous Index, Volume IV, p 17

FINDLAY, David - People Index, Volume II, p 93

FLEMMING, Thomas - People Index, Volume II, p 96

GEBBIE, John - People Index, Volume II, p 105

INGLIS, Captain John - People Index, Volume II, p 162

Love, D. Scottish Covenanter Stories. pp 36, 66, 73, 161, 167-170

Love, Dane. The Covenanter Encyclopaedia. p 158

MAGUS MUIR - Places Index, Volume III, pp 768-774

Orr, Brian, J.

PATON, Matthew - People Index, Volume II, p 293

Stewart, Sir James. *Thomson, Rev. J. H. Martyr Graves.

*Todd, Adam Brown. pp 140-143

WOOD, James - People Index, Volume II, pp 397-398

www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=43686

www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=43682

NEWTON MEARNS (near) Off A77, 3 miles south of Newton Mearns, East Ayrshire [64] NS 516 525

Roadside

Memorial to Robert Pollok off the A77 road to Glasgow at the road junction with the A66 and a wee road leading to Mearns, and then near to Giffnock and Clarkston.

1 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 101, September 2009, p 6

870

AUTHOR OF

T HE

COURSE OF TIME AUT HOR OF

AND “T HE COURSE OF TIME”

TALES OF THE BORN 1798 DIED 1827

COVENANTERS

BORN AT THE ADJACENT HE SOARED UNT RODDEN HEIGHTS

FARM OF MOORHOUSE AND SEEMED AT HOME

19 t h OCTOBER 1798 CENTENARY MEMORIAL

DIED AT SOUT HAMPTON

18 t h SEPTEMBER 1827

Inscriptions on Pollok’s memorial.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barr, J. pp 100-103 Pollok, David. The Life of Robert Pollok. Edinburgh & London: Blackwood & Sons, 1843.

*Todd, Adam Brown. pp 208-210

www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/heritage/heritage_people/heritage_local_authors/robert-pollok.htm

NEWTON STEWART Dumfries and Galloway [83] NX 409 656

Museum

‘Old Mortality’ statue at the Museum, Newton Stewart.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BALMACLELLAN - Places Index, Volume III, pp 66-72

CAERLAVEROCK - Places Index, Volume III, pp 163-164

CALDONS - Places Index, Volume III, pp 169-175

Campbell, T. p 40

DUMFRIES - Places Index, Volume III, pp 375-388

In Old Mortality’s Footsteps - Foreword and Introduction, Volume I, pp 15-16

871

NICK OF THE BALLOCH Near Barr, South Ayrshire [76] NX 346 926

Pass and Cave

Nick of the Balloch - a pass in South Ayrshire. Rev. Alexander Peden hid in

a cave somewhere along this pass.

Attribution: Oliver Dixon

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Love, Dane. The Covenanter Encyclopaedia. p 167

NISBET Near Jedburgh, Scottish Borders [74] NT 673 257

Village

The village of Nisbet -

Samuel Rutherford was born somewhere in this village.

Attribution: Walter Baxter

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Love, Dane. The Covenanter Encyclopaedia.

p 181 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Rutherford

872

NORTH BERWICK East Lothian [66] NT 553 852

Old Churchyard (St. Andrews Parish Church)

Old Kirk, North Berwick. 1

John Blackadder’s tomb.

1 Probably also the site of the grave of Rev. John Rae, imprisoned on Bass Rock. Attempts to locate his grave have proved unsuccessful.

873

Her e l i e s t h e b o d y o f

M r . JOHN B L AC KAD ER mi ni s t er o f th e

g o sp el a t T r o qu e er i n Ga l l o wa y, wh o

d i e d o n t h e Ba s s a ft er f iv e y ea r s i m pr i -

s o n m e nt Ann o D o m: 1 6 8 5 a nd o f h i s a g e

6 3 y ea r s.

B l e st J o hn for J e su s sa k e i n Pa t m o s b ou nd

H i s pr i so n B e t h el , Pa t m o s P i sga h fou n d;

S o t h e b l e s s’ d J o hn o n y o nd e r r o ck c o n f i n’ d ,

H i s b o d y Su f fer ’d , bu t n o c ha i n s c ou l d b i n d

H i s h ea v e n -a spi r i n g sou l ; wh i l e da y by da y

As fr o m m ou n t P i sga h’ s to p h e d i d su r v ey

T h e pr o mi se d l a n d, & v ie we d t h e Cr o wn by fa i t h

La i d u p fo r th o se wh o a re fa i t h fu l t i l l d ea t h ,

Gra c e for m e d h i m i n th e C hr i st i a n H e ro ’ s m ou l d ,

M e ek i n h i s o wn c o n c er n s, i n’ s ma s t er ’ s bo l d ,

Pa ssi o n s t o r ea son c ha i n’ d Pru d e n c e d id l ea d ,

Zea l wa r m e d hi s br ea s t & r ea so n c o ol ’d h i s h ea d .

F i v e y ea r s o n th e ba r e r ock y et swe et a bo d e

H e en o c h l ik e e nj o y’ d & wa lk ’ d wi t h G o d ,

T i l l b y l o ng l i v i n g o n t h i s h ea v e nl y fo od

H i s sou l b y lo v e gr e w u p t o o gr ea t to o go o d

T o b e c o n fi n ’d i n j a i l , or f l e sh & bl o o d;

D ea th br ok e hi s f e t t er s o f f , t he n sw i ft h e f l e d ,

Fr o m s i n a n d so r r o w & b y a n g el s l e d

E nt er ’d t h e ma n si o n s o f e t er na l j o y .

Bl e s t sou l t h e y wa r fa r e’ s d on e , pra i s e , l o v e, e nj o y,

H i s du s t h er e r e st s t i l l J e su s c o m e a ga i n ;

E v’ n so b l e s s ’d J e su s co m e , c o m e L or d Am e n.

Inscription on Blackadder’s tomb.

JOHN BLACKADDER’S GRAVE

I have received astonishing news that East Lothian Council propose removing all the gravestones

from the churchyard where Rev. John Blackadder is buried at North Berwick. The earthly remains

will not be touched, but the graveyard will then be tarmacadamed in order to create additional

parking spaces in this busy coastal town. Although it is planned to resite the Blackadder tablestone

elsewhere in the town, I don’t think that this proposal is satisfactory. Members may wish to write to

the Planning Department of East Lothian to add to the objections already received. Unfortunately I

don’t have an address for this as yet. 1

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barr, J. pp 193-194

Campbell, T. p 153

Love, D. Scottish Covenanter Stories. p 112 Love, Dane. The Covenanter Encyclopaedia. p 159

www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/search_item/index.php?service=RCAHMS&id=56598

1 Scottish Covenanter Memorials Association Newsletter, No. 76, June 2001

874

NORTH ESK Near North Water Bridge, Angus [45] NO 651 662

Bridge

Attribution: Karen Vernon Attribution: Andrew Wood

The old bridge across the River Esk at North Water Bridge, now open only to pedestrians.

Nearly 200 Covenanters spent a stormy night on this bridge before commencing the last leg of

their long journey to the dark dungeons of Dunnottar Castle.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Love, D. Scottish Covenanter Stories. p 203

NORTH MOORHOUSE Near Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire [64] NS 527 525

Farm North Moorhouse. Robert Pollok, author of The Course of Time, was born here.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NEWTON MEARNS- Places Index, Volume III, pp 869-870